Thoughts from Saturday’s title game

SCOTT TRUXELL/independent sports editor

Here are some observations and thoughts on key moments from Saturday’s Division IV state championship game.

Not the game envisioned

To be blunt, I was a little surprised to see Berlin Hiland in the Division IV title game, and I wasn’t alone. Even though the Hawks were the Associated Press poll champions, St. Henry seemed to be the favorite to advance to the championship game.

This is not a knock on Berlin Hiland. It just seemed that St. Henry was better suited to advance to the championship game.

Matchups

In terms of personnel and athleticism, this was not a good matchup at all for Berlin Hiland.

Again, this isn’t meant to disparage the Hawks in any way, because the team had an outstanding season and defeated a large and physical St. Henry team to advance to the title game.

However, against Crestview, they were simply outmanned at every position. The Knights had too many weapons, too much height and too much length. As Hiland head coach Mark Schlabach said during the postgame press conference, his team just couldn’t get comfortable against the Knights.

Unofficial favorites?

At least along press row, the general consensus was that Crestview was the favorite to win the game. It all goes back to on the court matchups. Berlin Hiland just didn’t seem to have an answer for Crestview’s multi-pronged attack.

Great start

Crestview raced out to a 10-0 lead in the first quarter. It set the tone for the game and it put the Hawks back on their heels.

Yes, Berlin Hiland rallied and tied the game in the second quarter, but the Hawks never took the lead.

I don’t think Crestview could have asked for a better start to the game.

Dealey comes up big again

For all intents and purposes, the game was over at halftime due in part to Derick Dealey. The 5-9 senior sharpshooter drained his only two triples of the game late in the second quarter. One came from the right wing with 1:29 left in the game and it put the Knights up 26-19. The second one came from the top of the key with 42 seconds left in the period and it gave Crestview a 29-19 lead at the half.

Wade Sheets

The 6-3 senior seemed unstoppable at times on Saturday.

12 of his 21 points came in the third quarter. For the game, he was 7 of 9 from the floor, including a trey. He was 6 of 7 from the foul line, and he pulled down eight rebounds.

Drew Kline

I heard someone mention on Saturday that Drew Kline deserves more credit.

There appears to be some validity to that. After all, how many kids start 105 games for their team? He wasn’t always the team leader in points scored but he brought leadership and intangibles to the court.

It was always fun to watch him on the football field and on the basketball court.

Javin Etzler

How’s this for a weekend at the State Tournament? Two games, two double-doubles.

That’s how the 6-7 senior closed out his high school basketball career. He had 25 points and 12 rebounds against Richmond Heights, then followed up with 10 points and 11 rebounds against Berlin Hiland.

Kalen Etzler

The 6-8 senior scored 14 points on Saturday, including a two handed slam dunk with 1:21 left in the game. It happened directly in front of the Crestview section, which seemed fitting.

Colton Lautzenheiser

The first player off the bench for the Knights provided a lot of defensive intensity. Honestly, I think he’d probably be a starter on a lot of Division IV teams, but he accepted his role and was a key factor in this season’s success.

Battle of the boards

Another key factor in Saturday’s state championship game – Crestview enjoyed a 31-14 rebounding advantage. For the most part, Berlin Hiland was one and done, with just five offensive rebounds.

Classy coach

While understandably disappointed after the title game, Berlin Hiland head coach Mark Schlabach showed nothing but class and dignity in the postgame press conference.

He was quick to congratulate and compliment Crestview and he answered all questions in a calm and collected manner.